India on My Platter (16 page)

Continuing with my Allappuzha adventure, after the houseboat experience, I went to one of the most beautiful heritage houses I had ever seen. Built in the late 1800s, Pooppally’s has been around for a long time. It is a family run eco-homestay, with large cottages spread out over a large plot of land on the banks and turns of the river. Therefore, you could enjoy the river on both sides of the property. Originally, trade and business took place on the river; it was the only way traders and merchants travelled, I was told. The original entrance to the homestay was through the ‘back’ of the river. For those of you who want to get married in a romantic South Indian destination, this is the place where you can plan your destination wedding.

This ancestral house was built by Mr. Pooppally Vavachen between 1892 and 1895. The bricks of the house still have the logo of the British Empire. Also, Sir Edmund Hillary visited the homestay many years ago. The cottages here are old wooden Kerala houses that were bought and restructured. The home stands secluded in a property of about three acres with varieties of fruit yielding trees and medicinal plants and herbs. It was home to more than 30 species of birds during the season.

I met with another member of the family who cooked with me in the afternoon. Lisa, the sister of Dr. Paul Pooppally, grandchild of Mr. Vavachen, told me how to go about the cooking. Before I explain what the food was all about, I want to give a little backdrop to Kerala cuisine. An essential ingredient of the cuisine is coconut. It is one plant which is used in all its forms. Rice and fish are also staples. Kerala’s culinary history is tightly wound around the spice trail. Pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and chillies are found aplenty here. Interestingly, there’s a large variety of meat on the menu like beef, rabbit, duck, seafood, and pork; these are common features on local menus.

Back to Lisa, a post graduate in the field of Food and Nutrition; she decided to teach me how to make a
karimeen pollichathu.
This was pearl spot fish, fried whole and finished in a banana leaf with a mix of spices. The recipe was her grandmother’s. Gashes were first made on the fish so that the marinade seeped in. Then the marinade was applied; it had salt, pepper, turmeric, red chilli, nutmeg vinegar, and ginger-garlic paste. It was marinated for an hour after which the fish was shallow fried and prepared to be wrapped in the banana leaf. Once the fish had been removed from the pan, we used the same pan to cook the onions, shallots, ginger, garlic, and tomato, with a whole bunch of spices (coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, black pepper and garam masala) sprinkled generously into the pan. This masala was coarsely ground thereafter. After this mix was done, the fish was placed in the banana leaf and covered with this spice mix. The tightly sealed banana leaf was then placed in another pan with coconut oil. This was cooked for another four to five minutes.

The above mentioned activity done, she went onto speak about few other dishes of the region like
avial,
a thick mixture of vegetables, yoghurt and coconut that went very well with
appams,
a type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk;
thoran,
almost like a cabbage stir-fry with grated coconut and mustard seeds;
pachchadi,
is made of any vegetable dish that is slightly pickled. While she prepared the fish, I decided to do a take on the classic
thoran.
I used raw papaya and served it as canapés on tapioca chips. I named it
Papaya
Thoran
Canapés.

P
APAYA
T
HORAN
 
C
ANAPÉS

(Raw papaya stir-fry served on a bed of thin crackers.)

Ingredients

Method

1.  Clean the papaya and grate it to get at least three cups.

2.  Heat the coconut oil. Once hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds together. After they start to splutter, add shallots, dry red chillies, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till shallots are translucent.

3.  Add the grated coconut, salt and turmeric powder. Stir for two to three minutes.

4.  Then, add the grated papaya and mix well. Sprinkle some water to avoid the spices from sticking. Cover and cook on a low flame for five to seven minutes. Give a stir in between. The papaya
thoran
is ready.

5.  Now, spread some pickle paste on the tapioca chips. Mount a heap of papaya
thoran
on the tapioca, the canapé is ready. You can garnish with a bit of grated coconut.

∼

I had the lovely opportunity to eat lunch with the entire family. We shared experiences, food and stories about our travels. I had been missing the company of friends and family and this little meal made me feel at home again. The dishes were extensive: the pearl spot fish, beetroot
pachchadi
and
bhindi
and
cheru parippu,
the name for
moong dal
(green gram), all served with steaming rice. We then ate the fish that Lisa had prepared. I unwrapped the banana leaf and inhaled the beautiful aroma. It was soft, had soaked up all the goodness of the spices, and tasted delicious. Not to forget, the nutmeg vinegar did wonders. It was definitely one of the most memorable meetings. I took my blessings and walked away into the sunset, only to climb a coconut tree!

Helping me do my ‘monkey’ act were Pravin and Ravi. Ravi was nimble and agile. He climbed the tree like it was the easiest thing to do. His official designation was Toddy Tapper. Pravin was around for translation and ease of communication. Toddy is a natural alcoholic sap of some kinds of palm, used as a beverage in tropical countries. It is very potent and can easily make you feel light in the head. It is sweet, white and cloudy, similar to what milk looks like. I looked at Ravi and noticed that he had a well-armoured outfit, with many tools and equipment attached to his body. The knife, which looked like a cleaver, helped to cut the coconut flower, and he carried a bag called
labu katey
to collect the toddy. Then there was the
thalanya,
a wooden stick resembling a rounded hammer to pound the flower. At the risk of sounding pompous, I did actually manage to climb the tree and trust me, it is not easy.

D
AY
49

23 September / Munnar

After the backwaters, we headed for the Munnar plantations. This hill station is situated at the confluence of three mountain rivers: Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. The name Munnar, in Malayalam, is believed to mean three rivers. During the colonial rule, many British officials used Munnar as a summer retreat. It has several tea plantations, winding roads, and boasts of exotic species of flora and fauna. I have been to Mussoorie and Nainital, and a few other hill stations in the north, but they would have to struggle hard to compete with the beauty of Munnar. There is a constant scent of spice and tea that follows you around. It is an area where the density of sandalwood trees is very high. A visit to a tea plantation, that allows you to stay in for a few days, is also a must.

Another must-visit are the elephant camps abounding near the place. Just before entering Munnar, I went to one where I met an elephant, face-to-face, for the first time. There were options to ride the elephants and bathe them or take a shower with them. I opted for the last option, with an elephant called Saji. The whole experience made me feel like a little child once again.

Munnar was also where I was exposed to the art of Kathakali. It is the most stylised version of Indian classical dance and was developed in the seventeenth century. Kathakali is based on songs in Malayalam and Sanskrit from the tales of Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The movements of the body and the hands subtly convey the story and the emotions through the music. There are five elements in Kathakali: song, expression, dance, enactment and instrumental accompaniment. It takes seven years to study and become a dancer. The artiste’s face is elaborately painted; the good characters have a green face, the ladies have a beige face, and the evil characters have red beards and black faces. Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends in the wee hours of the morning. Nowadays, it isn’t difficult to see performances as short as three hours or less. Kathakali is usually performed in front of the huge
Kalivilakku (kali
meaning dance and
vilakku
meaning lamp) with its thick wick sunk till its neck in coconut oil. Traditionally, this lamp used to be the only source of light around the area where the performance happened. Enactment of a play takes place along with the accompaniment of music
(sangeet)
and instruments
(vadya).

The regimented training of a Kathakali artiste makes him focussed, and increases his skill and physical stamina, to prepare for his demanding role. The training can often last for eight to 10 years and is intensive. The story is enacted by the movements of the hands
(mudras),
facial expressions
(rasas)
and body movements. The expressions are derived from Natyashastra (the tome that deals with the science of expressions) and are classified into nine sects in most Indian classical art forms. Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control of their eye movements. After watching this performance, I spent the rest of the evening exploring a tea estate.

D
AY
50

I left Munnar for the picturesque beaches of Puducherry.

D
AY
51

25 September / Puducherry

Formerly Pondicherry, the city is fondly referred to as ‘Pondy’ sometimes. It is located 450 km from Munnar. The place looks like a beautiful slice of France that the colonisers left behind, on the Coromandel Coast of India. And the influence is quite strong, be it in their architecture or in the culinary field. You can feast on freshly baked baguettes and croissants for breakfast, celebrate Bastille Day and
parlez en Francais
(speak in French) with the locals. Saffron coloured churches, painted friezes and sculptured pillars of Hindu temples, road signs in French; a pleasing mélange is the word that can sum up this lazily beautiful town.

There are two sides to Puducherry: the French quarter and the Tamil quarter. The most beautiful part of the former is the promenade along the shore. I met Mr. Ashok from
intach
(Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). He invited me to Le café, an old French establishment, famous for its organic south Indian coffee, baguettes and croissants. The building, which is currently Le café, used to be the old French passport office at the dock. Built along the promenade, the café remains open 24 hours a day. Life in Puducherry echoes its tourism slogan ‘Give time a break;’ quite an appropriate philosophy, if you ask me, for a break in this seaside town does take one into the slow lane. Mr. Ashok suggested I lose my car for two days and get a bicycle to ride around the city and that’s exactly what I did. First, we pedalled to the French quarter where we visited one of the most popular churches called Church of Our Lady of Angels, built in 1853, in the Greeko-Roman architectural style. The pastel shades of peach and lime gave it a very serene appearance. It reminded me of Le Basilleque Church in the south of France. One of the Masses in this church is still conducted in French.

Then we visited Bharathi Park, a place which is perfect for an evening walk, and in the centre of the park stands the white Aayi Mandapam. The Park is surrounded by important administrative buildings in Puducherry. It is a treasure trove of 900 varieties of plants and was the location for the zoo shots in the famous movie,
Life Of Pi.
I got dropped off at the L’Orient Hotel; which earlier used to be the building for the public education offices. It dated back to the late 1760s. The emergence of most Puducherry hotels occurred around this time. Mr. Ashok told me that this hotel was one of the most popular hotels not only for their ambience but also for their food. Their restaurant was called Carte Planche. Set in a courtyard, this was where Tamil spices fused with French fare to create something curiously Creole. I met the chef at the restaurant and he explained this fusion by making a few dishes for me. He made vegetables in Creole spices (a mix of oregano, thyme, cinnamon, dill, cloves and cinnamon), started with white butter and finished with coconut milk. He showed me how tomato and vinegar could be used as souring agents instead of tamarind. Several Indian delicacies were given a twist of the French subtlety. Gravies were treated like sauces in the effort to make the cuisine mild. The food tasted pleasantly different, and the scope for this fusion to evolve still remains.

Because I was in this town I was immediately drawn to the bakeries, especially the exotic breads and the desserts. The variety of fresh bakery products was astonishing and their popularity heart-warming. One such bakery I visited was Baker’s Street. The ambience reminded me of a cobbled French street, with small tables and chairs, perfect for a day out to sip coffee and read. They sold authentic French breads, cheese and chocolates. It couldn’t get better than that!

I tasted the baguette, the macaroons, the caramel custard and a croissant. An odd combination to order, but a good French bakery is judged for its basics. Did they pass my little test? The baguette was dry and hard on the outside, and soft, fluffy and airy inside. The custard was my absolute favourite here. The deep amber glaze of the caramel made the custard look so yummy.